11834/Subway Social

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Subway Social
Date of Scene: 30 June 2022
Location: Subway Car
Synopsis: A subway car, an Avenger with fruit, a mage with a dog, a blind man with a briefcase, a disguised CEO and a ninja recruit pickpocket. Things get interesting when an old woman pulls a gun.
Cast of Characters: Matthew Murdock, Phoebe Beacon, Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Cranston, June Connor




Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matthew Murdock taps his cane back and forth in front of him as he descends the stairs into the subway station. There are enough people heading that way that he keeps the swings short to avoid hitting them, while keeping one hand on the railing. He's always careful to not give away that his senses are better than they are.

Wearing one of his 'court suits', Matt has a briefcase-sized bag slung over a shoulder. It holds documents for the case that has him traveling to one of the courthouses in another borough. Another housing case, where a landlord is trying to evict people from their rent-controlled housing.

Reaching the platform at the bottom of the stairs, Matt walks over to wait for the train on the "2" line that should carry him to his destination. Taking a cab would be much nicer, but then Nelson and Murdock's budget doesn't really have enough funding for that long of ride when the subway will suffice.

Matt stands in line with the rest of the crowd. An elderly woman next to him glances over, spotting the sunglasses and the cane that signal his disability. "Be sure to mind the gap," she says in a British accent to him.

"Thank you," Matt replies in his deeply pitched, quiet voice. "Is the train... ah there it is," he says as even a normal person can hear the train's thunder as it near the station and then pulls up. The doors open and people begin to depart, and board.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    She was waiting for others to get off the train before she boarded, short-shorn hair, an athletic sleeve over her left arm, and a tank top to combat the heat. She was transporting items from her old hang out back home to Gotham, and some of it was too delicate to take through newfangled methods of transportation, so to the Hyperloop she goes. She looked like pretty much every other teenage wanderer, smelled of roses and black pepper and sharp citrus -- and the dog in her shoulder bag gives a soft whine. Of course, the 'shoulder bag' is a rainbow IKEA bag, and the dog is a forty-pound sight hound who looks bored out of his mind, huge upstanding ears drawing up at the sound of the oncoming train.

    She gives a soft, amused snort at the Mind the Gap statement from the older lady, but she was thankful for it. The wide strap of thin leather scratches against the gauze at her throat as the large plastic-lined bag shifts as the Dog gets a little more comfortable, sniffing about.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Stairs present a problem for Wanda Maximoff during the onslaught of pedestrians that hear or know the train comes by some supernatural gift. How do they know? Like clockwork, the pace picks up. She descends the stairs with care. The cause for disability is threefold. Paper-thin sandals lashed around her ankles by straps are no good to avoid a squashing by Docs or loafers. She balances a cardboard box that smells wonderful. Proceeds from shopping mean fruit crammed in her shoulder bag slung tight to her body.

"Don't run, don't run." A soft reminder is meant for her to resist the urge to join the crowd. Pietro would probably be running ahead of the train at this rate. She shelters the box with her body when a tall man in a Mets jersey brushes her elbow. A redhead in shorts and a camisole runs after him like they're after someone. Or someone is after them?

The sweep of people carries her in. The doors beep warning after being open too long. The dog might get to peer at the oranges and bodega treats. Wanda has to squish in on the platform like everyone else. "Pardon." A bit of a British accent there. A studied one. But she makes room for others to go in first if they want. Last there, last on.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
As Matt moves forward with the crowd into the car, the sounds and smells of New York and her denizens are everywhere. The man with too much cologne who already had a splash of scotch in the office. The teen with a rock stuck in the treads of his shoe so it makes a distinctive sound with every step.

It's cacophony for Matt, but one that he long ago learned how to filter down to things worth hearing. Sounds of distress, like that little whine tend to stand out. The man's head tilts just slightly in that direction, hearing the heavier breathing and the more rapid heartbeat that make it a dog. Matt's lips twitch slightly upwards at the thought of sharing the subway car with... it sounds like a medium sized dog to him.

Matt's cane taps the far side of the car and then he reaches about overhead, fumbling for appearance's sake before finally grasping one of the handles. The scent of fresh fruit reaches him and Matt draws in a deep breath to appreciate it. So much better than the one man's cologne, though a reminder he hasn't eaten yet.

A group of youths get on, one of them with earbuds in but blaring so loud that Matt isn't the only person who can hear the music.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe steps on, giving a tap of her feet so that it's obvious she's behind Matt -- with the dog, whose nose looks to press against his elbow with curiosity. There's a sound of slight distress from her as she spots the woman with all the fruit, and she steps back to let her on before, giving an obvious motion of her hand and a smile to Wanda in passing. She loved New York. Such a different vibe than her native Gotham City.

    She makes her way, making sure to give everyone enough space, though her heart beat is beginning to pick up, her breathing rate rising up as she's a little bit crowded in.

    She loops an arm around one of the poles for support, and digs out her own cellphone, giving a look to the youth with the earbuds blaring. She motions to her own ears, and makes a questioninig look to the youth in question.

    The dog in the Ikea bag wriggles around, trying to decide if he wants to smell fruit or court suit.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda tugs her shoulder bag higher by shrugging. With her hands occupied she cannot do much else. The train isn't thick to overflowing with passengers, so she edges around them lightly. It's a small miracle not to squish someone when Phoebe bars others from trying to run her over or run in at the last minute. "Thank you, miss. Busy day to be out."

Spotting the dog's nose first before him in the rainbows brings an involuntary smile that widens a bit. The box is covered in Cyrillic writing with an address square in Brooklyn. She leans against a divider bar rather than holding on. Informal but it will do. The lawyer gripping the rung hanging from the same bar some distance on earns a once-over again.

"Mmm." Thoughtfully she hums, trying to place Matt. The too-noisy headphones aren't a problem for her right but part of the background noise.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Natasha Cranston, CEO and wealthy socialite, never rides the subway. When you're rich enough to have your own personal driver, you generally don't need to.

    Jenny, on the other hand, makes ends meet with a college student's budget and rides one when she can afford it.

    She's also almost too late for this one -- she reaches the bottom of the stairs at a dead run just as the doors start closing, side-vaults the turnstiles without so much as slowing down, puts in a heroic last-second sprint and dives through the rapidly narrowing gap at the last possible moment, somehow managing to stick the landing without bowling over the passenger in front of her. "Sorry!" she says brightly, in the tone of someone who is not, in fact, terribly sorry, and then reaches for a handhold as the subway car starts moving, head bopping slightly with the song probably playing in her earbuds.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The youth that Phoebe gives the questioning look to is a bit younger than she is. But it doesn't stop him from breaking out in a slick smile as he tugs the earbuds from his ears and gives her an up nod. "How -you- doin'?" he asks in an accent and tone that would make Joey from Friends proud.

Matt turns his head as the dog in Phoebe's bag sniffs at his elbow. "Either you're more friendly and curious than most, Miss. Or you have a friend with you," he says with a soft smile. He reaches up with a hand to the height the dog nose was at, though stops short of bringing it all the way over to the dog. "Dog, is it?" he asks. "May I?" he inquires politely of Phoebe before trying to seek any contact with the animal.

Meanwhile, the youth's friends are watching his attempt to schmooze Phoebe. One nudges another with a head movement that way. "Dayum we picked a good train today," the other youth says, eyeing where Phoebe and the auburn-haired Transian are standing next to each other.

June Connor has posed:
    June is the last of the group of youths that board. The doors shut on her, half way through, beeping, and she punches them with an open palm and a growl. "Think you could've held the door?" she grunts at the youth with the ear buds.

    Her halter top shares much more skin than should be modest, not to mention it exhibits several tattoos over her body. Not the least of which is a Red handprint on her left shoulder. Her fire-engine hair is unnaturally red, making her stand out amongst the group.

    All the same, standing at just 5'3" she easily disappears into the mesh of people, finding herself face to face with the blind man, and wedged in next to Jenny's late arrival. She looks up at the better off woman, a lazy annoyed look on her face at 'the rich folk' around her.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe raises her eyebrows at the upnod, and she gives a soft snerk -- not quite a snort -- and a smile at the approving looks from the slightly younger teens. As long as there's no trouble, she'll let them be. She turns to Matt, but spotting his cane and his sunglasses, she gives a little smile, and she takes out her phone. She turns it quickly to text-to-voice, and a computerized voice says: "I M Mute. He is friendly. Name is Idu." she types in, though from the way the computer pronounces it it's probably spelled E(space)doo.

    The red-and-white sighthound with the blue eyes and gold collar gives a wiggle and wag at the sound of his name, the IKEA bag he's sitting in wraggling and crinkling.

    Phoebe, in her guy's tank top and denim jeans, looks more like a regular New Yorker. Minus the fact that she has a wrist band with GOTHAM KNIGHTS on it in black and yellow. June gets a curious look, though, eyebrows rising up on Phoebe as she looks in curiousity.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Rule one of subway travel, take up as little space as possible and pretend everyone isn't there. Two rules? Two.

The first one Wanda follows. Her knee and elbow press against the metal divider. The shoulder bag with its groceries, including a tantalizing Filipino pastry that's purple and some fruit guard her flank. She's got her feet wide enough apart to absorb the sway of the train over the old tracks.

The mechanical voice drags her from the pretend personal space. She shuffles a step back for June and Natasha to have a bit of breathing space, catching that red hand tattoo in passing. First things first. "Do you want to stand over here? I can move to make you and Idu more comfortable." The longer she talks the more likely someone could recognize her. Even Avengers take trains. A lot of them. Okay, never Tony. Probably not Simon. Or Janet.

The compromised box bouncing off the metal rail gets a ding. It can be smoothed out. That saves her looking up at an overly ham fisted pickup line. Points for trying? The Scarlet Witch, easily mistaken for not being a Witch heroine, shakes her head. "Always a good train if it runs." Like so many back home didn't.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The sudden arrival of 'Jenny' Cranston causes people to shift about to make room for her. The train takes off, people swaying as it accelerates and then falls into that constant but unsteady motion that rocks people back and forth now and then.

As the youth doesn't get quite the response from Phoebe as he'd hoped, his friends snicker at him and he jams his earbuds back in to drown out their laughter.

Matt reaches the remaining inches to the dog, letting it come to his hand though, after getting the go ahead from Phoebe, via Phoebie's phone. "Thank you," he tells her. "Amazing how handy those things are, isn't it?" he says to her. "I have a scanner that outputs in braille. If only my phone could generate texture too," he says with a small smile as he offers the dog a gentle petting.

The subway's rocking causes Matt's shoulder to briefly bump June. "Sorry," he says as he rights himself back fully straight. Something is tugging at his head at the young woman's scent, though he can't think of what.

At Wanda's comment, Matt lets out a sigh. "Had a car break down in a tunnel once. We all had to walk out but they woudln't let us leave for a solid hour. Yes, a fan of them working," he agrees with the Avenger.

Down the car, loud voices can be heard starting up. A woman and a man who are arguing about a seat. "I don't care how old you are, lady, the seats are here for everyone to sue!" the seated man tells the standing, older woman in an angry tone.

"No respect you have. This is the problem with America today. Isn't it!? Isn't it!?" she asks, looking around to try to get others to express their agreement.

June Connor has posed:
    June's green eyes shift to Phoebe, a certain challenging stare, as if Phoebe looking her direction. June hadn't even noticed Wanda's voice or recognized it until the comments regarding the dog begin, and she shifts to see the Avenger. "Oh shit. Aren't you um....Scarlet Witch lady. Wanda?" she asks. It isn't a star struck tone in her voice, it's more a tone of surprised curiosity to see a celebrity in an ordinary place like a subway car.

    There's not a lot of response given to Matt's bump. It's just a blind guy. When the argument starts, though, June reaches out with a knuckle bump to the guy with the loud ear buds, a silent look that seems to signal something to him. Time for sticky fingers.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe was happy the teen took the decline gracefully as teen guys can. She does favor him with a smile from across the train, her dark eyes rising to Junes with a mild expression, placid, given back to the challenge of June's green and as Wanda offers a spot to her, she gives a small wave and a smile to the grocery carrying lady, though points to her items, motions lifting, and gives a questioning face, offering help carrying things. She's all right standing, and Matt gets to pet Idu. The sight hound has wiry hair, on a long nose and erect ears, which flick backwards as he eagerly puts his head under Matt's hand for pets. His white-and-red tail sticks out and begins to wag enthusiastically from the other side of the bag, and at the accusation of Witchcraft -- err, Wanda being the Scarlet Witch, she tilts her head, her eyes looking to Wanda from June.

    She keeps her wits about her, her phone disappearing back into her bag, and its zipper pressed against her thigh as the argument breaks out. unfortunately the quiet voice of her phone can't give an answer back to Matt, though her sharp eyes flick back to the Lawyer, then back to the argument.

    She just gives a mild look back to the lady as she shifts her weight uncomfortably.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Jenny looks around, startled out of her reverie by the commotion, then fixes a glare on the sitting man, although she doesn't comment. She shifts her weight as the car rocks unexpectedly, shifting her stance instinctively to maintain balance, but doesn't appear to be paying much attention to anything but her own inner world.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt continues to pet the dog. "You're a well-behaved pup, staying all nice and quite on the train," he says to the animal. "My cat probably would have his claws dug into my hiding in my jacket if her was here," he adds.

The argument going on is drawing more of his focus, though he's not looking over there. It is drawing more attention on the train in general, as well.

The man's angry voice rises. "I work just as hard as anyone else, lady. I'm just as entitled to sit here as you."

The elderly woman snorts. She's gotten a few head nods from people around her, but most of the people on the train seem to want to stay out of the matter. The youths with June though begin to use it for their own advantage, moving through the train. Light fingers checking loose pockets where they can, and looking for things to lift while people's attention is held on the argument.

"You have mother!? You want man treat her like this!? You are bad son, is what you are!" the old woman exclaims. She hits the man with her purse, not too hard, but it causes him to give a soft yelp. "Jesus woman, that hurt!" he exclaims.

"And you take Lord's name in vein!" she cries back at him. She opens up her purse and pulls a .38 caliber revolver and waves it at him, causing the man to sit up straight and go still. "That's right, now you listen to me!?" she yells at the man as she holds him at gunpoint.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The surreptitious way Wanda watches people comes from old habits that won't die. Her weight shifts to the swaying train like many others. Her toes scrunch against the soft leather bed of her sandals, planting herself to avoid being knocked askew if people come or go to the first stop. June gets a bit of a chin-dip to her guess, but nothing more than that. Train's busy and the shouting woman up the car demands an immediate response. Her chest deflates a touch in a sigh. "Why can't everyone be as happy as you, Mr. Idu?" Rhetorical question, no expectation of lawyers or dogs answering. At least not much.

"Ma'am," she says in a stressed British accent that slides nicely over her native Transian one. A little old world-school magic is all theatrics, here. "Be patient. There might be an open seat at the next stop." A couple years learning the stiff malice of a country that loathes queue-jumpers teaches people something! Until that hit comes, and the purse belches out a revolver.

"Put the gun away." Her hand slides free from under the box to free it up. Anyone trying to rob her is only going to find a lot of fruit and a few spongy cakes. She waits for any sign of movement in five seconds, approaching ten. No answer? Then that red glow rolls over her fingers, hidden under her palm, to twist the likelihood of that gun being able to fire anything at all.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Idu's tail wags. He is a well behaved dog who is more about the headpats than making noise on the train. And cats are evil, just ask him.

    But his head does rise up at the question of why people can't be happy like him. It would be because, of course, they're not given enough headpats and belly scratches if he were to have an opinion. That and people value the strangest things.

    She looks up to Wanda as the Transian sets the groceries down, and as the Scarlet Witch issues the ultimatum, Phoebe's eyes give a softer, rosey-gold glow, circles appearing on the back of her palms. ready to throw up her shields as her heartbeat picks up and her breathing increases. Her teeth grind a little against one another, and Idu, distracted from his pettings, slips out of his bag and presses his body against Matt's legs, blue eyes set on the lady with the gun.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Jenny goes very still as the argument escalates from yelling to drawn guns in almost the blink of an eye. Her stance shifts minutely as she focuses her attention on the woman and the gun she's holding. She lets Wanda do the talking for now, but very slowly moves to stay in the older woman's blind spot.

June Connor has posed:
    June, given that she is just next to Jenny, watches not the interaction, but the surrounding people Crazy old ladies aren't her problem unless the gun is pointed at her. She lets others deal with her, the idea of managing to steal from an Avenger? Too much poetic justice for her not to at least try. She moves past Jenny, brushing against...what is that ring? Ouch. She glances down, and spots the marking. She's...seen that somewhere before. Somewhere. The box that Wanda has put down is given another look, but then back to Jenny.

    "Oh shit a gun!" She grabs for Jenny's shoulder to push her downward, and the other hand grabs for the poor college student's hand. The idea is to look like she's being noble and protecting her, when in actuality? Well, she's trying to steal that ring.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The little old gun-lady doesn't realize her gun's firing pin seems to be deteriorating by the second. Nor does the man that is looking at the barrel of said gun as it points at his nose from a foot away.

"Ok, ok!" he says, holding up his hands on either side of him. "Listen to them," he says. "No need to do something crazy. Er, rash. Something rash. I mean, here... take my seat," he says.

He slowly slides to his feet, moving with deliberate slowness. The gun tracks him while Wanda's chaos magic continues to affect it. But the man has departed the seat, and she takes a seat in it, stowing the gun back into her handbag.

People around the subway car start to relax. A few smile and chuckle, others stay quiet and maintain some level of tension while peeking over to the old woman. Is anyone going to report her? Hard to say.

Matt watches it all, knowing it would be difficult for him to get to the woman. A faint scent of... something hits him, as Wanda works her power, and so does Phoebe. Up close as it is, it is distracting, as much for never having smelled its like, their like, as for any other reason.

"It's ok," he tells the dog as the situation starts to calm down again. He reaches down to pat the dog and also to make sure he doesn't run off now he's out of the bag.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Phoebe manifesting those circles sets off a resonance to Wanda. Her ears pop to manage the equilibrium against another active aura. The protective stance over her groceries also partly blocks anyone further down the car from getting a stray bullet if she needs to pull a protective shield out of nowhere.

Red light spreads across her palm. Like a friendly cat, it slides around her middle finger. The firing pin may be all but useless now but the entropy expands a little. "Is everyone all right?" The everyone applies to the whole train. Dogs included. "I'm sorry for the disruption. This will be a little longer. She has to squeeze her way out from around the divider, giving an open spot for Phoebe or June to slip into if they want. Picking past people going back into their reinforced private bubbles means lifting her feet carefully. She doesn't want to step on them!

Her heart rate is only mildly accelerated, that small frown dimpled by concern. Not angry. She'll approach that old woman claiming her victory. "Ma'am, you put these people's lives at risk by pulling that weapon. That's not the America we want to live in. Sir, who gave your seat up, hit the speaker and call the transit police please. Ma'am, you and I will get off the train when the police come. Consequences have actions. Even if you don't like them."

Even if someone steals her groceries.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The circles fade out on Phoebe's hands, and she lets Wanda do the talking. She releases the magic she was holding, and wavers a moment on just what to do. Backing up an Avenger on a otherwise mild train interaction? Well, that'll be a highlight for her week. The otherwise non-special teenager collects her canine, whose tail is whacking against the seat and probably Matt's shin.

    She taps Matt's elbow to let him know she's there, and gives a soft whistle to the canine. Idu hops back into his bag with a crinkle, and then proceeds to snuff at Matt, turning to look atJenny and June and June's friends in the process, tail a-wagging happily.

    Her own heart rate slows down as her adreniline ebbs.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Jenny flails as she's suddenly tackled from the side, instinctively clutching at June for balance, but only succeeding at taking both of them to the ground.

    "Ooof!" she yelps as she hits the floor, and again when June lands on top of her.

    "... Thanks for the thought, but can you let me up again? I don't think anyone's going to be shooting anyone else any time soon..." she mumbles after a while as Wanda convinces the woman to give up.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The little old lady looks up at Wanda. There's a look that doesn't seem to show a full recognition of what is going on. "You're such a lovely thing. My nephew's son, about your age. You should meet him," she says fondly towards Wanda.

The man who had the gun pointed at him mutters under his breath. A number of not flattering things that Matt, at least picks up on. The man moves over to call for the Metro's police unit to be awaiting them at the station which is rapidly approaching.

As for Matt, his foot bumps against the groceries that have been set down. He hadn't realized who Wanda was, but then she'd had her name voiced just as things went sideways. As they pull into the station and the doors open, he reaches down to pick up the groceries that were left behind.

June Connor has posed:
    June feigns to be helpful as she goes to the ground with Jenny. "Right," she tells Jenny. Darn, a perfectly good distraction with no score. All the same, she didn't get shot, so it's still better than some days.